Initial Ideas

In this section, here are some possible ideas in which I may combine to create my final version of the Magazine, supporting the genre of Music in which I am focusing on (Electro/Pop Dance Music).


Ideas for Front Cover
#1
This shot is a very vibrant, eye-catching and strong, medium-close-up of Kelly Clarkson. This style of shot is an idea in which I positively want to use for the cover of my magazine, as it puts a significant emphasis on the focal point of the image. For this image specifically, because it is central, the Title can be easily placed at the bottom of the page with the main headline just above, with the Stories & PUGs situated around the edges. Meaning, also that the stories and other elements will not hugely cover the image. The use of bright colours contrasting to a black, makes the overall image much more eye-catching to the audience, a theme in which I think is a positive idea to follow.

#2


This medium shot of this man, in my opinion is a good image to use as it conveys the entire medium shot of the man, whilst enabling some area in which there is space for all the elements for the front cover. The title could be positioned above the image, without covering it and the other elements can be placed around the edges, maybe slightly overlapping, but not hugely. The use of the grey background emphasizes the colours and the focal image more significantly.

#3
This is a medium close-up of Lady GaGa, it plays more emphasis on her face, hair & make-up with the use of a mask to accentuate the scheme of colour. This style of image is significantly stronger than that of a medium shot of the full body, as it accentuates the artist more. The elements included can be placed around the right-hand edge and the bottom of the page, so it does not cover the image, yet still enabled the audience to see the features of the magazine. The pink in which her hair coloured, contrasts the colour scheme to also put more emphasis on her image, so it attracts the audience more significantly.

Colour Scheme Ideas

Font Styles

Font Ideas for Titles

Font Ideas for Text

Ideas for Magazine Title

The Sound

Paparazzi

Dirty Pop

Rhythm Nation

Target Audience Analysis

This is Kate, and she is a stereotype in the target audience in which the genre of magazine I am designing and creating will be aimed at.

Kate is 18 years old, lives in a suburban town in the outer edge of London and presently is studying Media & Performing Arts at College.

Kate generally listens to a combination of Dance & Electro/Pop music along with Club music, but when she is driving around if she does not have her iPod tuned into her radio, she listens to KISS or Capital FM, these stations play a variety of all the latest music around. Kate only generally purchases music magazines, such as SPIN or MixMag, as they favour her preferable genre of music. She enjoys surfing the web for all the latest gossip and stories in both Celebrity culture & the music industry.

Kate enjoys singing, acting, dancing, playing piano, play sports such as baseball & netball, attending parties and clubs, as well as socialising with her friends.

Kate is very spontaneous and spends her time seeing her friends, doing a variety of activities from going to the park and spending a nice afternoon hanging out, talking and enjoy the fresh air, or going out partying and dancing & drinking the night away, or playing sports or driving wherever the road takes them and enjoying the day or just spending time with her family.

Maslow's Theory..

Maslow's heirachy of needs was created in 1943 and included in his paper on "A Theory of Human Motivation". The information was included in a pie chart and the purpose of this analysis was to elaborate what Humans really need, in comparison to buying luxuries such as magazines (Asking the questions Do we really need them? & What is more important luxuries or needs?). The idea is to first consider the important needs of the Human and their physiological needs (Breathing, food, water, home etc.) & their safety, Love/belonging and esteem, before they can even consider the consumption of buying luxuries, this is where it all has to start, before other elements of the table can be taken into consideration. Kate needs the physiological side to follow the table and make sure she is comfortable, before she can purchase luxuries as there are more important factors. But, purchasing a magazine can also assist Kate in the sense of belonging as she can have an interest which may parallel that of another, making her feel as if she belongs and aid her esteem. The table is an explanation of the way in which humans lead their lifes, and how certains aspects take effect on others to excell them in life, which ultimately end up in enjoying the luxuries in life.

Uses and Gratifications Theory..

Gratifications is an idea in which its core focal point is the consumer, and deliberates on what effects, the intentions and the messages the audience will recieve and want from the product, (In this case, a Music Magazine). The audience play a major role in what direction the product is heading, and considers the needs in which the audience want, and the consumer also decides what should be included to help them feel satisfied with the product. I will need to apply this idea to my own Music Magazine, to make sure that my audience are completely satisfied with the outcome, and make sure that it furfill their specific wants and needs, to make the product relevant and for them to want to make an investment into product. Rather than create something in which will not be sold, and the consumer will not be pleased with the investment. It is solely about the audiences specific needs, to confirm their gratifications are accomplished.

3rd Double Page Spread Analysis.

This is my 3rd analysis of a double page spread, which features Lily Allen in NME magazine.

The colour scheme featured compliments the core theme which is attributed in each NME magazine (Red, white & black). This theme is accentuated across the page to consist of some continuity in the article and the magazine. The red emphasizes the focal image of the article, in this case Lily Allen, as it conveyed through what she is wearing, to put emphasis on her, in opposition to what is usually expected of NME Magazine, which is to feature red in the title. The black & white act as elements in which stress the information featured in the article because they conflict each other well to make the text stand out more. The white background accentuates a simple and plain imagery, which also works well with the colours represented to make them more obvious to audience and attract their attention to an easier and straight-forward read. In comparison to other magazine articles which can sometimes overload the page with irrelevant information & advertisements which draw attention away from the focal element of the page.

The design of the page edges towards a more simplistic look, rather than a more complex and overloaded look. There is no obvious title featured on the page, in this case, there is a quote made by Lily Allen herself which can be somewhat seen as the title. This conveyed through significantly larger letters than any other text on the page, and also dominates the upper-left hand corner of the page so it becomes more apparent to the reader. The letters feature a black background conveyed in white block-capitals, each letter varying in size and angle to give the title a more bold & edgier look, which reflects her persona to attract the audience more towards it. The focal image of the page positioned on the right-hand side and covers the right hand side in its entirety to convey to the audience who the featured article is relating to. The correlating text is placed in the bottom left-hand corner of the spread and is positioned in 4 seperate columns. In different parts of the article some words are highlighted red to put emphasis on the artist and that element of the subject. Also, the first letter of the text is considerably larger than the rest of the text.

The focal image of the feature consists of a medium close-up of Lily Allen, wearing a red, black & white checkered shirt, with her hands placed on her hips. She is wearing deep and dark make-up which coincides with her hair colour and juxtaposes her pale skin to emphasis her more. This imagery constrasts to the style in which she is known for, in comparison to the heavy make-up which emits a more rockier feel to the image, yet reflects the style of the magazine. This emits a more tough and edgier image of her, yet the pose in which she has embodied is a somewhat signiture pose for her, as in many of her images she is seen having her hands on hips, which gives off a more natural feel as this is something Lily Allen is known for, conveyed to the audience a more calmer feel to the image.

The overall impression of the double page spread is emitting a more edgier and rockier imagery to the article and to Lily Allen's persona, which reflects the style of the magazine in comparison to her usual, more confident yet simple self.

2nd Double Page Spread Analysis.

This is my 2nd analysis of a double-page spread featuring an interview with Will.I.Am, a member of the "Black Eyed Peas" as the focal point of the story.

The colours in which the double page spread is coupled with is an arrangement of white (Which dominates the overall imagery), black, greys and a mixture of yellow tones, which is emphasized by the image of the group presented on the left of the spread. These colours are a good combination as it emits a contemporary theme to the overall presentation of the double-page spread, which the group convey a positive representation of. The intuition of the piece conveyed to us is a combination of seriousness and modernism.

The design of the page is very simplistic and fresh, yet does not overload the page with too many others elements of the magazine, and focuses on 1 point (in this case, the focal image which is Will.I.Am of the The Black Eyed Peas). The imagery of the page is conveyed as again, contemporary and combines simplicity with details, this enables the audience to focus more on the topic of the story, rather than get distracted by other elements of the page. It features the group's image spread across both pages with the image of Will.I.Am accentuated more to the audience as the article is about him, so his image is not distorted, un-like the rest of the members' images, which have been faded. It starts from the far left-hand side of the spread, with the text which correlates the with the image on the far right-hand side. The image featured combines with the core colour scheme of the article.

The image portrayed to the reader is a symbolization of a more tradtional and stylish values, emitting a more contemporary feel as the group introduce the style in a different way. As a opposed to the imagery of rock and metal influences which a wider range of magazines cover in the present, rather than a magazine which conveys the influences in today's music. The pose, stye, hair & make-up in which they are portraying is an influence on current styles and themes such as individualism, by their disverse clothing sense and unique hair-styles. There are some parallels in their poses in which distinguish them as a 'group', such as the way 3 of the members all have their left-hand positioned some place on their faces. Their solitary stances are a representation of strong personas, and present the imagery of a new contemporary style which is presented in a positive way, influencing the reader to read-on.

The words and text are identified to the reader through the use of bold, futuristic text and the use of the colour scheme to make the words more prominent to the audience. The main focus of this article is Will.I.Am and it is clearly accentuated to the reader by using contemporary styles, to attract the audience. The overall style of the text is still following the theme of simplicity so a wider audience can read along without difficulty and without swarming the page with irrelevant topics and advertisements, which are not features of the story. The story features an anthology of various kinds of ways to highlight different parts of th story to the audience, which may draw their attention closer, such as highlighting parts and juxtaposing the colours of the theme to make it more obvious to the reader, and also using bold and significantly larger text to make them stand out more.

The overall notion the double page spread emits is the initiative that it not entirely comprehensible for the audience, as it does not percieve an apparent suggestion of the topic being discussed. People whom enjoy the more simplistic and contemporary feel will enjoy this kind of article, but could suffer confusion as the overall image does to give off a clear message. The type of audience who want to read something more lively, complex and active in its presentation, will struggle to enjoy this as the mood of the magazine is very calm, and simple. If you were a fan of The Black Eyed Peas, then it would be understandable as to who these people are and what the story is about, but if you are not a fan or have no clue as to who these people are, then it is more of a struggle to determine whom they are. It is a positive imagery for the page as it conveys a contemporary and simplistic feel to the article which can attract simplistic readers and makes it easier to follow but in its entirety, the overall view puts confusion on the audience.

Double Page Spread Analysis for "NME" Magazine.

This is my analysis of a double page spread featured in 'NME' Magazine.

There is a combination of light blue, black & white, which connotes a less harsh image of the band, in comparison to the like of magazines such as 'Kerrang!', who promote a more dark and angry piece of imagery. The background is white so that the black juxtaposes the background to make the text stand out more to the audience, with the blue emphasizing its overall appearance to convey a much more calming and positive effect. Although, there is a column situated down the far right-hand side of the page where the main theme is still being followed, yet the colours are reversed to emphasize the information being projected, in this specific part of the page.

The overall design of the page consists of a combination of block lettering, emphasized by the various different styles of font featured across the page, to convey a more chaotic and cluttered feel to the page. There is also a mixture of banners, PUGs & highlighted parts of the magazine to make them more visible to the audience, they are positioned in various places across the page. This helps introduce more topics, which are covered. Although, there is a mixture of fonts, which vary in shape & size, they all still apply to the focal colour scheme of the magazine. The focal image of the story is situated on the left-hand side of the spread, this emphasizes the band "The Teenagers" being the focal image of the page, and conveys that the story presented is focused on them. The significantly larger title for the band, which is covered across both side of the spread, emphasizes the band's story. With the title having a more crisp and softer feel to it, we can interpret that the band do not play heavier, rock music.

The image that is presented on the left-hand side of the double page spread, is the focal image of the story featured in this specific article. In this circumstance, there is a picture of the band "The Teenagers" portrayed. The message which is conveyed through their presentation of themselves can be interpretted as relaxed, youthful and dismissive, an element which is stereotypical of the genre, as well as complimenting their name ("The Teenagers"). This juxtaposes heavier genres of Rock by bands such as "Bullet for my Valentine". Their pose in their picture conveys a more laid-back and insensible feel to them, emphasizing the 'teenage' imagery they are portraying. By them lying down in the picture, is increasing the emphasis

on the theme being portrayed.

Across the page, there is an emphasis on the titles of each section, as they are presented through various different font styles and connotating an imagery of variety. They are accentuated by the use of lighter colours such as white & blue, which contrasts to the black to again, emit a somewhat calming and chilled approach to the genre of music being discussed. The size of each piece of highlighted accentuates the importance of the article and how much vested interest the audience would have into the section. Not only is there an emphasis on the focal story being presented, but located on the far right-hand side of the double-page spread, there is a section which emits to the audience other, contemporary artists featured in the magazine. Attention is drawn to this through the juxtaposing colours of the scheme, as it opposing that of the main article to illuminate to the readers more, so more notice is taken.

The language used across the page is edging towards in-formal text as a notification to the reader, although the language could be percieved through a more complex range of vocabulary, some audiences may not understand the meanings of the words so the text used is simple and effective. It is made bold to the reader through quick and simple, catch-phrases to grab the audiences attention in a way which the audience can connect with quicker, such as the emphasis used on the phrases "Everyone's talking about.." & "Need to know..".

The overall impression we get from the page, emits a more contemporary and calmed feel to the page so a wider range of audiences can connect with the imagery being conveyed, rather than an emphasis on 1 specific genre of magazine such as "Kerrang!". This specific type of magazine appeals to a much wider range because of its indication towards a combination of contemporary genres, which is featured across the double-page spread rather than an emphasis on 1 main article. It works well as it produces a good suggestion as to what is featured across the page, which draws the reader in more to read the article rather than just skip past it.

Analysis of "Drummer" Magazine, Contents Page.

This is my analysis for the "Drummer" Magazine contents page.

The colour format for the page is an arrangement for black, white and red, with black being the most prominent colour on the page. They intertwine well together as they contrast each other in a positive way to emphasize the page's theme of rage and obscurity. All 3 colours are conveyed a significant amount so various features can be represented and assist them in standing out more to the audience.

The titles for the page are located in the upper-left hand corner of the page. The first mentions the date & title of the page "01/07 Contents" which is displayed in a combination of red and white, which juxtapose each other positively to make the text stand out more. The font is siginifcantly larger than that of any other featured on the page (Apart from the "Drummer" title featured). The font is presented in a soft, 'Times New Roman" style, which gives a contemporary feel to page as it juxtaposes the main theme of the magazine.

The most prominent title of the page is the "Drummer" Which is situated just below the "Contents" title. It is conveyed in black, block capitals which juxtaposes the white background to emphasize the magazine's name more to the audience. The black follows the theme of darkness, which relates to the theme of rock music.

The stories & images are interlinking as there are various correlating images on the page with the stories, which are situated down the left-hand side of the page. There are 8 stories featured in the contents of the magazine, 5 of which include associative images positioned in diverse positions across the page. The images fluctuate in sizes, the "exclusive" story and its associating photo dominating the page, to draw the audiences attention towards it more significantly than that of the latter of the stories. The main story is central to the page, is central within the magazine and the word 'Exclusive' connects the picture to the chronicle. Again, it is central so the audience are drawn towards the low-angled, medium shot of the focal point and its paralleling story. The images presented include in their top left-hand corners, the page number in which parallels the story they relate too. Each photo varies in size, and the angle in which they are taken, to give the page a sense of variety and importance of the story, for the audience.

The features of the magazine are situated down the left-hand side of the page, the title of this specific section is presented in bold, red font, significantly smaller than the titles, yet larger than the text featured in the stories. The page numbers are applied in the same manor as the title of this section, but placed next to its associating story. The stories' titles are portrayed slightly smaller than that of the 'Features' title, yet larger than the text which reveals a short summary of the story, both of which are presented in black, gothic-like font to follow the theme of the 'Rock Music' genre.

The overall impression of the contents page is that is conveys a powerful piece imagery. It portrays a positive presentation of what the 'Rock Music' genre's message is about. Its use of contrasting colours makes the page stand out more to the target audience and presents it in a positive way towards the reader. Each elements of the page is unique in its own way, and can be interpretted that the magazine is unique by the way it's presented. The imagery is portraying a piece in which conveys what it needs to convey, in a way which makes the page feel more energetic and alive, rather than something which is straight-forward and dull, which is not what Rock music is about. The magazine is aimed at an older generation, mainly teenagers, not nessicarily younger children as it conveys a much darker theme, in comparison to themes which children would be admire and which are suited for them.